The UKMTO reported the shelling of a tanker off the coast of Oman

The tanker came under fire 60 nautical miles east of Oman's capital. This was announced on May 26 by the British Maritime Trade Operations Center (UKMTO).

According to the ship's captain, an "external explosion" was recorded from the port side in the aft part of the tanker. As a result of the accident, some of the fuel spilled into the sea. At the same time, it is clarified that the crew is safe, the ship itself was not seriously injured.

The authorities are currently investigating the circumstances of the incident. The UKMTO Center urged shipping companies to exercise caution when passing through the area and promptly report any suspicious activity.

According to UKMTO statistics, there has been an increase in tension in the region over the past three months. From February 28 to May 26, 52 incidents occurred in the waters of the Arabian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman. This number included 28 armed attacks, 22 cases of suspicious activity and two hijackings of ships.

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The Wall Street Journal reported on the same day that the US Navy had resumed escorting ships through the Strait of Hormuz.

Prior to that, on May 24, Bloomberg reported that a supertanker carrying about 2 million barrels of Iraqi oil to China had passed through the American naval blockade and entered the Arabian Sea. According to the Equasis marine database, the vessel belongs to a Malaysian company from Singapore, AET Inc PTE Ltd.